Sea
Attack Boats
The attack boats are new to Battlefield 4, taking naval combat to a whole new level. These sleek and fast boats are essentially IFVs on the water, equipped with a pilot-operated auto cannon turret—this turret also supports secondary weapons like the default TOW Missile. But unlike the IFVs, the attack boats are also fitted with port and starboard miniguns, operated by crewmates. The miniguns are deadly implements in their own right, capable of shredding infantry, light vehicles, and even aircraft. For a boat, these watercraft can also absorb some heavy damage. If the boat is nearly destroyed, crew can escape in one of two PWCs, towed behind each attack boat. Riding a PWC to shore sure beats swimming.
Attack Boat Upgrades
| Image | Name | Slot | Unlock Points | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default Upgrades | ||||
|
|
25mm Cannon | Primary Weapon |
— |
Explosive shells that deal heavy damage against infantry and light armor. |
|
|
TOW Missile | Secondary Weapon |
— |
A user-guided anti-tank missile that deals huge damage to heavily armored targets and infantry inside the blast radius. |
|
|
IR Smoke | Countermeasure |
— |
Launches puffs of IR-deflecting metal shards that break lock-ons and spoof incoming missiles. |
|
|
Zoom Optics | Optics |
— |
Zooms the view to more easily spot and take out targets at greater distance. |
|
|
Maintenance | Upgrade |
— |
Recovery from damage and critical hits starts sooner. |
| Unlockable Upgrades | ||||
|
|
Thermal Camo | Upgrade |
4,000 |
Special plating that increases the time it takes for enemy targeting systems to lock on to you. |
|
|
Passive Radar | Secondary Weapon |
8,000 |
Surface-to-air missiles that require the user to maintain a lock on the target. If the lock-on is lost, it can be reacquired and the missiles might still reach their target. |
|
|
Smokescreen | Countermeasure |
12,000 |
Releases a thick cloud of smoke that visually obstructs the vehicle and makes it impossible for incoming missiles to achieve precise, critically damaging shots. |
|
|
Proximity Scan | Upgrade |
16,000 |
Scans the area around the vehicle and reveals enemy movement on the minimap. |
|
|
IRNV Optics | Optics |
19,000 |
Enhanced infrared night vision that will make heat signatures easily distinguishable at close to medium ranges. |
|
|
30mm Cannon | Primary Weapon |
23,000 |
Fires 30mm shells with a bigger explosive payload for increased damage against infantry and armor, but at the expense of decreased ammo capacity. |
|
|
Belt Feeder | Upgrade |
27,000 |
An enhanced mechanism that reduces the time taken to reload. |
|
|
Laser Guided | Secondary Weapon |
31,000 |
A powerful missile that locks on to ground vehicles. Once lock-on is achieved the user has to maintain it until the missile has reached its target. If lock-on is lost, it can be re-acquired and the target can still be taken out. |
|
|
Air Radar | Upgrade |
35,000 |
Replaces the minimap with a radar display showing airborne targets in a large radius around the aircraft. |
|
|
Zuni Rockets | Secondary Weapon |
39,000 |
Fires anti-infantry rockets also capable of taking out light armor. |
|
|
Fire Extinguisher | Countermeasure |
43,000 |
Can only be deployed when the vehicle is in a critically damaged state. It will put out any fires, bring the vehicle back to a functional state, and let the vehicle start recovering from sustained damage. |
|
|
Burst Cannon | Primary Weapon |
47,000 |
Fires a ten-round burst of 25mm shells for devastating effect against aircraft and other light armored vehicles. |
|
|
Thermal Optics | Optics |
51,000 |
A black and white night vision system that shows heat signatures across all ranges. |
|
|
TV-Guided Missile | Secondary Weapon |
54,000 |
A missile controlled by the user via remote camera. Effective against armored targets. |
|
|
Active Protection | Countermeasure |
60,000 |
When this system is activated, it will sense incoming missile and rocket threats and detonate them before they reach the vehicle. The system will enter a cooldown state after a threat has been neutralized or no threats have been detected for a short time. |
RCB-90
- Nationality: US
- Description: The RCB-90 is the US variant of an attack boat originally produced for the Swedish Navy.
Vehicle Occupancy
| Seat | Position | Weapon | Ammo |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Pilot | 25mm Cannon | 90 |
|
2 |
Gunner | 7.62mm Minigun | Infinite |
|
3 |
Gunner | 7.62mm Minigun | Infinite |
|
4 |
Passenger | Troop Kit | — |
Field Notes
Bristling with powerful weapons, the RCB-90 is a fast and agile watercraft best deployed as an offshore weapons platform in support of amphibious landings. These boats are often deployed from aircraft carriers, serving as the US team’s base. But in rare occasions these vehicles spawn at control points during Conquest matches.
DV-15
- Nationality: RU/CN
- Description: The French-developed DV-15 attack boat can operate in shallow water, making it perfect for coastal patrol duty.
Vehicle Occupancy
| Seat | Position | Weapon | Ammo |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Pilot | 25mm Cannon | 90 |
|
2 |
Gunner | 7.62mm Minigun | Infinite |
|
3 |
Gunner | 7.62mm Minigun | Infinite |
|
4 |
Passenger | Troop Kit | — |
Field Notes
The DV-15 is used by both Russian and Chinese forces and is equipped with the same weapon loadout as the American RCB-90. Like its American counterpart, this is a very versatile watercraft capable of taking on ground vehicles as well as helicopters and jets. These usually deploy at Chinese and Russian bases—don’t leave them there. Get this boat on the water and rack up some kills.
Attack Boat Tactics
- Traditionally, watercraft have served mostly as transports, ferrying troops across large bodies of water. The attack boats change all of that. Think of them more as a tank or IFV, using them to hunt down enemy vehicles and infantry. But be careful when operating in shallow water near shore—unintentionally beaching one of these vehicles is a terrible waste.
- The attack boat’s default weaponry is impressive enough. But consider customizing the boat’s weapon loadout to transform it into a serious anti-air threat. Equip Passive Radar missiles, Burst Cannon, Air Radar, and Active Protection, then hunt down enemy jets and helicopters.
- When not attacking aircraft, use the attack boat in a supportive role, assisting infantry and ground units. The Zuni Rockets are ideal for attacking infantry while the Laser Guided missile and TV-Guided Missile are very effective against enemy vehicles, including other attack boats.
- With so many weapons to choose from, it’s tempting to anchor an attack boat off-shore and bombard enemy positions from a distance. But it’s important to keep moving, making the boat a more difficult target to hit. If you stay in one spot too long, enemy infantry might swim out to challenge you. Although uncommon, recon and support troops can dive beneath the surface and attach C4 to the bottom of the boat.
- Soldiers riding in the fourth position, at the back of the boat, may feel like they’re missing out on all the fun. But an engineer posted in this position can make a big difference. Weapons and gadgets from the soldier’s troop kit can be accessed from this position, allowing engineers to conduct repairs with their Repair Tool while still aboard the boat. Engineers can also fire guided weapons like the IGLA, Stinger, or Javelin, giving the attack boat an even greater offensive punch.